In 2007,
Steve Nieve and his life partner, psychoanalyst, writer, and film producer
Muriel Teodori, collaborated on the well-received opera, Welcome to the Voice, in which they enlisted the talents of
Elvis Costello,
Sting, and
Robert Wyatt.
Nieve brought these four together again, as well as a host of other friends, in a series of musically conversant duets. Also featured here are old and new friends like
Vanessa Paradis,
Glenn Tilbrook,
Laurie Anderson,
Ron Sexsmith, and others; some of these singers also appear in the session band.
Nieve's trademark is musical ambition. Though most of these songs are in recognizable forms, they take chances. The jazzy art song "You Lie Sweetly" uses
Sting's lower register to fuel a modern torch song. "Save the World," with Tall Ulyss, is a straight-up rocker with a choir added for dimension. "Conversation," with
Paradis, finds the two singers atop a lilting hook, with the composer's
Attractions-era organ sound filling a backdrop dominated by rolling tom-toms, a droning bassline, and electric guitar. "Tender Moment" features
Costello in a grand ballad that would have been right at home on his
Burt Bacharach sessions. The deep upright bass by
Benoit de Segonzac, and
Nieve's own virtuoso playing on grand piano, are as seductive as the vocals. "La Plus Jolie Langue" is the set's only trio with
Teodori and
Wyatt. It reveals
Nieve's willingness to stretch himself, writing lyrics in rudimentary French in a modern chanson -- the first of three songs in that language here -- as a salute to his adoptive home of Paris.
Wyatt and
Teodori are wonderful soloists; their airy vulnerability is countered by sly humor.
Nieve's plaintive, everyman voice adds enough weight to root it to earth even as his atmospheric keyboards push the other way. Unfortunately, "La Crise" with
Cali is marred by that singer's
Bono affectation, though the song's chorus has the best hook on the album. "Halloween Night," a love song with
Sexsmith, nods at
Harry Nilsson in melodic and lyric twists, though the images are all
Nieve's. The slithering hooks in "Summer Song (Espionage)," with
Tilbrook, make for a deft, luxurious, pop song; breezy guitars, cello, keys, and an infectious melody meld the singers' voices seamlessly.
ToGetHer is a beautifully conceived album; its production, though relatively clean, contains all sorts of subtle shades and textures. At large, it is a welcome return to what
Nieve does best: writing, arranging, and performing wonderful songs. ~ Thom Jurek